Method of indexing



Sept. 4, 1928. 1,683,468 R. A. JONAS u H 0F INDEXING Filed Oct. 20. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 4, 1928. 1,683,468

. R. A. JONAS METHOD OF INDEXING Fil'ed Oct. 20. 1921 2 Shqgjg-Shget 2 Patented Sept. 4, 1928.

UNITED STATES RICHARD A. JONAS, F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

METHOD OF INDEXING Application filed October 20, 1921. Serial no. 508,922.

This invention relates to filing systems. An object of this invention is to provide a method of indexing by character guide cards whereby the same guide cards are utilized under the condition or expansion of a portion or thefwhole of the tile.

An object of the invention is to provide for similar retention or the retained character guide cards under the condition of contrac 0 tion of a portion or the Whole of the file. I

In accordance with my invention, the character guidev cards are provided with tabs arranged along a determined alignment parallel to theclenter line of the cards. The characters of the guide cards are selected from an assumed maximum list of alphabetical characters.

When an order is placedby a customerdesiring, say, a relatively small file of one hundred and character guide cards, the characters for such one hundred and fifty di visions of the file are selected from the assumedmaxini um file, and accordingly the clesired file of one hundred and fifty guide cards is formed of guide cards having tabs and arranged in a common alignmentand regularly printed With the character designations.

.In the event that the file becomes expanded, say, under the letter B, additional alphabetical character guides are selected from the assumed maximum file and such additional guide cards are placed in proper positions to form additional divisions.

In a similar inanner, up'ohexpansion under any other letter in the aforesaid particular file, additional alphabetical character ig l iide cards are selected from the assumed maidmum file and additional divisions made under the now e-Xpa'nded particli-lar alphabetical characters. I J

It is advantageous to denote by consefcue tive numbersithe successive characters offthe assumed nakiinum file whereb the location of charac terl guide cardsinfserted upon faxpansion under any particular alphabetical characters i s' niore readily ascertained.

Further 'Te'aftures and objects of the iritth tion Will bzi'nore fully understood froni the following description and the accompanying drawings, infifihich v Fig. 1 is perspective view of a conven tional file drawer containing a simplified form of file embodying my tinventi'omuhder a limited range of alphabetical characters; and v Fig. 2 is perspective'view of a similar type of conventional the drawer "enclosing guld'ecards embodying my invention, under a limited ra'n 'e of al )habetical characters and including 'subdivisional guide cards.

Referring to Fig. 1, thedrawe'r 1 is shown comprising character guide card's extei'icling from A to BL, namely, the characters designated as follows:

Each guide card, as appears in the illustra tion, consists of a rectangular sheet 2 of paper board or the like and hayingany suitab e type of tab, the tabs bearing the afore-i said character designations selected from the assumed maximum. i

For ordinary purposes of commercial filing, t'e n'iaxin'ium may be assumed as five thousand nd the lesser files; of say 3300;, 2200, 150(1,1200,662, 5'50, 335, 22's, 150, etc. may be selected from the character designations of such assumed maximum. 'to meet the requirements of customers ordei' inglfiles of uch lesser numbers. l

Thus, as illustrated in Fig. l, drawer 1 contains guide cards of a file totaling 150 guide cards and the first 1 .guide cards of such 150 file are those designated in Fig. 1.

In the event, of expansioilof the file, say between the characters A and Ac, the characterA h-might be selected to meet the needs of sii'c'h expansion. ?Accordingly; a guide cardbearing the character designation Abl would be selected 'frem the assented maximum.

Similarly, upon further expansion of filed matter between A and Ad the char} acter designations Aha, I fAber Abif, Abrams, and Ack might be selectedtd meet the requirements upofnfsuch expansion As Will be noted in each of each guide cards bears a tab located at the cirtreme upper edge of the card forming a-:co'iiimon alignment, which is substantially paral'-' lel to the center line of the eards and usually located at the extreme left within the file drawer.

Bctnecn such guide cards are, placed the folders or file cards or other filed matter. Upon increase of filed matter between any two guide cards, it becomes desirable to divide the filed matter into two or more subdivisions and additional guide cards are selected with the proper character designations to divide the newly formed divisions into substantially equal parts. The added guide cards bear the tabs which become aligned in common with the tabs of the previous guide cards, the character designations being selected from the assum d maximum list and the guide cards bear numerical notations intermediate the numerical notations 0f the immediately preceding and succeeding guide cards. Y a

In the event that it is desirable to have one or more supplemental file cards for dividing any particular division of subject matter. as for example under the character designation American, supplemental guide-cards say for example bearing AZFK, W, etc. as is shown in 2, may be employed and the tabs of such supplemental guide cards may be arranged diagonally, as in ordinary filing systems.

However, the filing system indicated in Fig. 2, including such supplemental guide cards. comprises essentially the divisions of the file denoted and markedby the characte desi nations appearing on the commonly aligned tabs of the guide cards and which designations will have been selected from the assumed maximum list.

Similarly, the character designations for theremainder of the file are selected from the designations of the assumed maximum list and selected to meet'the respective requirements of the individual parts of the files.

As an eXa-mpleof the character dcsigna tions of such assumed maximum, the character designations under the letter A may be as follows:

A v A H AMST A BA A I-IL AN ABB AI ANCK ABBE AIS v ANDERSEN ABBOTT AK ANDERSON ABE A L A NDR ABELS ALB ANDREWS ABER ALBERT ANDRI ABL ALBI ANG ABR ALC ANGLO ABRAHAMS LE ANGO ABRAM ALEXANDER ANN ABRAMS LE ANS ABRAMSON ALL ANT ABRI ALLEN AP ALLENB APG ACE ALLI APPEL ACK ALLIED APPLE ACKERMAN ALLIS AQ ACK-ERS LM AR ACO ALP ARB AD ALPH ARC ADAMS ALS ARCH ADAMSE ALT ARD ADEL ALTH ARG ADI ALTM ARK ADL ALTO ARL ADLER ALU R DM AM ARMOUR ADV AMB ARMS AE AMERICAN RN AF AMERM i RNOLD AG -'AMES ARNON AGO AMP ARN S AIIHNO ASTOR AUS ARR 7 AT AUSTIN ARRUV ATK AUSTR ART A'lL AUT ARTH ATLAS AUTOMATIC ARTI ATT AUTOMOBILES AS AT\V AV ASCEIER AU VERY ASII AUD .iVO

ASIIL AUE A W ASSA AUF AX AST AUL AY Similarly the character designations for the letter '1 may be as follows:

E EID'r ENGL RAG EIL ENN EAGLE EIN ENo EARL EIs ENs EARLY ErsEu ENT EAS Elsi ENv EASTERN EIsN E? r ASTII EL EIS EAs'ro ELo EQ B .LE ER EBER ELECTRICAL ERI) EBL ELED ERI c ELE ERIE .l-ICK ELI ERIE ECKERS ELIE ERN ECKM ELITE ERP EcL ELK Es Eco ELKI EsEo ED ELL ESP EDEL ELLI EDELs ELLIo EssEX EDEN ILLIS s'r EDGE ELLIso EsI'o I EDI ELM 'r EDL ELMER F'ITL RUN ELO EU EDU ELs EUR EDUC ELT EUREL Enw FLY Ev Eon I EM EvE EMB EVAR EG EMC EVER EGA n EMERS EVERI EGG EMERY EvER'r EGN EW EH EMP EX EnnET EMPL EXCELSIOR FURL EMPR EXCH EHRM N EXP 1 ENDL EY EICI'IM ENG 'he character designations for the letter P of. such assumed maximum may be as follows:

P PAY IETI PAC PE IICTR PACK PEARL PE'IRO PAD PEARLM IETT PAG FEARS PEY PAI PEAS PEZ PAL PEC F PALI PEC IFEIL PALM PECKE PH PA LMO PED PHEM PAN FEE PHI PANA PEER PHILI PANE PRES PHILIP PAN'I PEI PHILL PAP PEL PI-IILO PAPE PELL PI-IO PAPP PELLI PI-ION PAR PEM PHY PARAM PEN PI t PARD PENN PICK PARI PENNA IE PARISI PENNS PIERCE PARK PENS PIERD PARKE PEO PIG PARKER PEP PIL PARKERS PER PIN PARKS PERF PINE PARM PERG PINK FARR PERK PINT PARS PERL PIO PARSONS PERLM PIP PART PERLMU PIR PAS PERM PIS PASS PERR PIT PAT PERRO PITT PATH PERRY PITTS PATT PERS PIZ PATTERSON PERSO PL PATTI PES PLAT PAU PET PLATT PAULA PETERS PLATTE PAULS PETERSEN PLAZ PAV PETERSON PLE Similar character designations of. the assumed maximmn are chosen for the remaining letters.

Vhereas I have described my invention by reference to specitic forms thereof. it will be understood that many changes and modifications may be made Without departing from the spirit of the invention. as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The method of indexing a particular file which comprises forming an assumed maximum number of guide ards having tabs projecting above the upper margin of the respective guide cards, each of said tabs being located at substantially the extreme letthand side of the guide card. said tabs bearing indications of solely single alphal'ietical characters serving as the main divisions of the assumed maximum list. applying to said maximum number of guide cards respectively designations in numerical sequence in correspondence to their a phabetical sequence. and groups of solely alphabeti all characters serving as the subsidiary divisions ot the assumed maximum list. selecting a list of main and subsidiary divisions from the assumed maximum list to meet the requirements of the particular file and arranging the main and subsidiary guide cards corresponding to the selected list in a common tile.

2. The method of indexing a particular til which comprises forming an assumed maximum number of guide cards having tabs projecting above the upper margin of the respective guide cards, each of said tabs being located at substantially the extreme left hand side of the guide card. said tabs bearing indications of solely single alphabetical characters serving as the main divisions of the assumed maximum list. applying to said maximum number of guide cards respectively designations in munerical sequence in correspondence to their alphabetical sequence, and groups of solely alphabetical characters serving as the subsidiary divisions of the assumed maximum list, selecting a list of main and subsidiary divisions from the assumed maxinmm list to meet the requirements of the particular tile. selecting from the assumed maximum list subsidiary guide cards corresponding to the expansion requirements of the particular tile and adding the same to the common tile.

3. The method of indexing a particular tiie which comprises forming an assumed maximum number ot guide cards having tabs projecting above the upper margin of the re spective guide cards. each of said tabs be ing located at substantially the extreme lefthand side of the guide card, said tabs bearing indications of solely single alphabetical characters serving as the main divisions of the assumed maximum list applying to said maximum number of guide cards respectively titGSiIllHtlOIkS in numerical sequence in corrcspondcnce to their alplnibetical sequence and groups of solely alplnibetical characters serving as the subsidiary divisions of the assumed maximum list. selecting a list of main and subsidiary divisions from the assumed maximum list to meet the requiren'ients of the particular til and arranging the main and subsidiary guide cards corresponding to the selected list in a common tile selecting from the particular file the subsidiary guide cards corresponding to the dix'isions required in contraction of the particular tile and adding the same to the assumed maximum list.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification this 3rd day of October 1921.

RICHARD A. JONAS. 

